Target Launch Device

ABSTRACT

The subject matter of the invention is a device for launching targets comprising a target storage organ movable around a rotation axis, an organ for delivering a target from the storage organ at a delivery zone, a launch arm movable around a rotation axis substantially parallel to the rotation axis of the storage organ and able to apply a projection force to a target situated in the delivery zone, characterised by the fact that the launch arm and the storage organ are movable in opposite directions of rotation and in that the delivery zone is located between two distinct parallel planes in each of which the rotation axis of the launch arm and the rotation axis of the storage arm are located respectively. 
     The invention will find its application for launching targets for archery.

The present invention concerns a device for launching targets and inparticular finds its application in launching targets for archery or forother shooting disciplines, for example of the type using compressed-gasweapons launching projectiles in the form of balls filled with paint orpowder, such as those known by the English term “paint ball”.

Normally, devices are known for launching clay pigeons for shooting withfirearms. In general terms, the targets used are substantially flattenedcylinders in shape with a circular cross section.

Typically, the targets are launched by a rapid rotation of an armpreviously tensioned by a spring, the release of which provides a sharpprojection of the target. Before the actuation of the arm, the target isstored in a rotary storage organ and then the target to be projected isbrought to a projection position. The projection position is situated inthe path of the arm. To arrive at the projection position, the target iscaused to move from the storage organ to its destination point.

The existing devices are not without posing difficulties in thetarget-loading phase. In particular, targets that are badly positionedand jammed at the projection position are frequently found. Not onlydoes this cause faulty projection of the targets but also this mayproduce unwanted blockages of the machine arm relative to the othercomponents. It will easily be understood that this blocking is not onlydetrimental to the efficacy of the firings and to their reliability butalso may cause safety problems, in particular when it is a case ofreleasing a jammed target while the arm is still at least partiallytensioned.

The aim of the present invention is to remedy all or some of thedrawbacks of the launch devices known up until now.

To this end, the present invention concerns a device for launchingtargets comprising a target storage organ movable around a rotationaxis, an organ for delivering a target from the storage organ at adelivery zone, and a launch arm movable around a rotation axissubstantially parallel to the rotation axis of the storage organ andable to apply a projection force to a target situated in the deliveryzone, characterised by the fact that the launch arm and the storageorgan are able to move in opposite directions of rotation and in thatthe delivery zone is located two distinct parallel planes in each ofwhich the rotation axis of the launch arm and the rotation axis of thestorage arm are located respectively.

By virtue of the present invention, the target is delivered at thedelivery zone in a movement accompanying the movement of the arm. Thusthere are no longer any risks of jamming of the target at the deliveryzone.

Advantageous embodiments are stated below, which may be cumulative orimplemented in alternation and which are not limitative of theinvention:

-   -   the delivery organs comprise a delivery ramp extending from the        storage organs to the delivery zone;    -   the launch arm circulates between the delivery zone and the        delivery ramp;    -   the rotation axis of the launch arm and the rotation axis of the        storage organ are separate;    -   the target-delivery zone is located between the rotation axis of        the launch arm and the rotation axis of the storage organ;    -   the delivery ramp forms a stop between the delivery zone and the        end of the delivery ramp intended to hold the target on the        delivery zone;    -   the device comprises a projection surface onto which the target        is moved with a view to projection thereof, comprising a surface        supporting a portion of the target;    -   the support surface has a concave longitudinal profile;    -   the device comprises at least one target with a circular cross        section and the edge of which is configured so as to be applied        to the support surface;    -   the target is made from plastics material.

The accompanying drawings are given by way of examples and are notlimitative of the invention. They depict only one embodiment of theinvention and enable it to be understood easily.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a device according to the invention.

FIGS. 2 to 8 illustrate the various operating phases of the deviceaccording to the invention.

As is preferred for the archery application, the target 10 is circularand has two substantially parallel faces spaced apart by an edge 11 witha circular cross section. Advantageously, the target 10 is made fromplastics material, or more precisely polymer foam.

The device shown in all the figures comprises a base 12. This base 12may be fixed non-removably or be provided with wheels facilitatingmovement of the device. On the base 12 launch organ and an organ 1 forstoring targets 10 are mounted. The organ 1 for storing targets 10 is ofthe barrel type. Solely by way of indication, the barrel comprises aplurality of columns each able to receive targets 10 superimposed in thelongitudinal direction of the columns.

Said target-storage organ 1 is movable around a rotation axis 2. In thefigures and non-limitatively, the storage organ has a clockwisedirection of rotation about the rotation axis 2.

Delivery organs, not shown, enable a target 10 to pass from one of thecolumns of the storage organ 1 to a delivery zone 5. The delivery zone 5is situated on the path of the launch arm 3.

The launch arm 3 is advantageously an elongate element. The launch arm 3is movable around an axis 2, the actuation of which is controlledmanually or by any other means, in particular automation, for examplecoupled to the rotation of the target storage organ 1. It will bepossible to use conventional rotational actuation organs in the contextof the invention. One example consists of cocking the launch arm 3 bytensioning a spring by means of a drive such an electric drive. Thecontrolled release of the spring provides an abrupt mobility of thelaunch arm 3, which is applied to the edge of the target 10 in order toproject it.

Once the target 10 has come out of the storage organ 1 in FIG. 3, it ismoved as far as the delivery zone 5 by sliding on the delivery ramp 6,with delivery organs such as for example stops formed at the end of thecolumns of the storage organ 1 able to hold the target 10 to be storedand to release the target 10 to be delivered. By way of example, theinvention comprise organs for delivering a first target situated at thelowest height of the column of the storage organ 1 and holding organs inthe column at least a second target superimposed on the first target.The holding organs comprise a ramp configured so as to exert an abutmenton the bottom face of the second target during the delivery of the firsttarget. The retention of the targets in the column advantageously takesplace without the exercising of a radial pressure, by simple abutment,countering for example gravity, of the targets placed in the columnabove the target to be delivered.

The holding organs gradually replace the abutment effected by the targetto be delivered on the other targets by means of a diversion movement ofthe target to be delivered releasing a space on the bottom face of thesecond target in order to cooperate with the holding organs.

The holding organs in question, which have a ramp, are extended alongthe path of the storage column so as to serve as a bottom stop in thecolumn during a large part of the path of the column. Thus a singlephysical organ is used to implement the active ramp at the moment of thedelivery of the first target and the retention stop in the active columnduring a larger phase of operation of the device.

According to the invention, the rotation axis 2 of the storage organ 1and the rotation axis 4 of the launch arm 3 are separate.

Preferentially, the rotation axes 2 and 4 are parallel.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the delivery zone 5 forthe target 10 to be projected is located between the two rotation axes 2and 4, or more precisely between the two parallel planes in which thetwo rotation axes 2 and 4 respectively are located.

Preferentially, the delivery zone 5 is a space extending on either sideof or close to a straight line connecting the two adjacent axes 2 and 4.It extends on either side of this straight line substantially at adistance lying between half a radius and one diameter of a target 10.

In FIG. 4, the passage of the target 10 from the delivery ramp 6 to thedelivery zone 5 is illustrated. As illustrated, the delivery ramp 6 andthe delivery zone 5 are at different heights. According to onepossibility, the delivery ramp 6 and the delivery zone 5 are partiallysuperimposed, or more precisely the delivery ramp 6 at least partiallycovers the delivery zone 5.

The target 10 passes from the delivery ramp 6 to the delivery zone 5while changing level. The delivery zone 5 and the delivery ramp 6 arespaced apart. The delivery ramp 6 is preferentially situated above thedelivery zone 5.

This space between the delivery ramp 6 and the delivery zone 5 isintended to enable the launch arm 3 to pass.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 6, the launch arm 3 travels under thedelivery ramp 6 and above the delivery zone 5.

It is in particular for this reason that it is especially advantageousthat the launch arm 3 and the storage organ 1 have opposite directionsof rotation.

When the target 10 changes level between the delivery ramp 6 and thedelivery zone 5, the target 10 is driven by its inertia and/or bygravity and by virtue of the invention the launch arm 3 accompanies themovement of the target 10 in extending its transfer movement rather thancounter to it, which would give rise to significant risks of blockage ofthe target 10 between the launch arm 3 and the delivery ramp 6.

As depicted and without being limitative, the launch arm 3 is movable inrotation in an anti-clockwise direction opposite to the storage organ 1,which undergoes a clockwise rotation.

Advantageously, the space separating the delivery ramp 6 from thedelivery zone 5 has sufficient height to enable the launch arm 3 to passwhile being less than the thickness of the target 10. In this way, thedownstream end of the delivery ramp 6 constitutes a stop 7 for thetarget 10, preventing any risk that the latter might slide under thedelivery ramp 6, which could cause unwanted blockages of the device.

According to a preferred embodiment, the device comprises a plateforming a projection surface 8. This projection surface 8 is oriented ina plane parallel to the plane containing the path of the launch arm 3.

Advantageously, the delivery zone 5 is situated on this projectionsurface 8, preferentially at one end. At the other end, the target 10will be projected. This projection surface 8 receives the target 10 fromits leaving the delivery ramp 6 as far as its projection.

As illustrated in all the figures, the target 10 comes from the storageorgan 1 and then travels over the delivery ramp 6, into the deliveryzone 5 and over the projection surface 8 flat, that is to say with oneface in contact with these surfaces. Preferably, the projection surface8 comprises organs intended to limit the adhesion of the target 10 onthe projection surface 8. For example, reliefs or openings can beprovided for reducing the contact surfaces between the target, inparticular a face of the target 10, and the projection surface 8. Thisis particularly important in a preferred embodiment in which the target10 is made from plastics material, preferentially polymer foam. Thetarget 10 is preferentially circular in cross section. This formadvantageously allows a running movement on a support surface 9 asdescribed in detail below. The target 10 may be a sandwich of threelayers with identical or different thicknesses. The target has adiameter of between 15 and 400 mm, preferentially with a thickness ofbetween 30 and 150 mm.

The launch arm 3 comes into contact with the edge 11 of the target 10.Preferentially, the launch arm 3 comprises a strip 13 made from plasticsmaterial of the elastomer or rubber type intended to increase thefriction with the circular cross section of the target 10.

According to the invention, the projection surface 8 advantageouslycomprises a support surface 9 extending substantially perpendicular fromsaid projection surface. The support surface 9 has a concavelongitudinal profile intended to guide the movement of the target 10over the projection surface 8 and influences the projection path.

The support surface 9 is configured so as to come into contact with thecircular cross section of the target 10. This support surface 9 inparticular finds its application in the present invention in which thetarget 10 is driven in the delivery zone 5 and over the projectionsurface 8 from the delivery ramp 6 by the inertia of its movement. Thenthe launch arm 3 comes into contact with the circular cross section ofthe target 10.

According to the inertia of the target 10, the point of contact of thetarget 10 on the launch arm 3 will be different, which could modify theprojection trajectory, and there would not be any possiblerepeatability. By virtue of the support surface 9, once the target 10 isin contact with the launch arm 3 and whatever the position of thiscontact point, the target 10 is pushed in the direction of the supportsurface 9 because of the centrifugal force resulting from the rotationof the launch arm 3. The contact with the support surface 9 normalisesthe position of the target 10 relative to the launch arm 3 and thusaffords repeatability of the firing trajectories.

Preferably, the support surface 9 is configured so as to increase thefriction forces on the target 10. In this way, the target 10 moved bythe launch arm 3 will undergo a rotation on itself in particular duringits projection.

According to the invention, the base 2 makes it possible to use thedevice in various firing positions ranging from a horizontal positionwhere the plane of the projection surface 8 is substantially horizontal,to a vertical position where the plane of the projection surface 8 issubstantially vertical with the delivery zone 5 at a height lower thanthe opposite end of the projection surface 8 or vice versa.

REFERENCES

-   -   1. Target-storage organ    -   2. Rotation axis    -   3. Launch arm    -   4. Rotation axis    -   5. Delivery zone    -   6. Delivery ramp    -   7. Stop    -   8. Projection surface    -   9. Support surface    -   10. Target    -   11. Edge    -   12. Base    -   13. Strip

1-8. (canceled)
 9. A device for launching targets comprising: a targetstorage organ movable around a rotation axis, a delivery organ fordelivering a target from the storage organ at a delivery zone, a launcharm movable around a rotation axis substantially parallel to therotation axis of the storage organ and able to apply a projection forceto a target situated in the delivery zone, wherein said device comprisesa target in plastic materials and wherein the launch arm and the storageorgan are movable in opposite directions of rotation and wherein thedelivery zone is located between two distinct parallel planes in each ofwhich the rotation axis of the launch arm and the rotation axis of thestorage arm are located respectively.
 10. The device according to claim9, wherein the delivery organ comprises a delivery ramp extending fromthe storage organ to the delivery zone.
 11. The device according toclaim 10, wherein the launch arm circulates between the delivery zoneand the delivery ramp.
 12. The device according to claim 9, wherein thedelivery zone is located between the rotation axis of the launch arm andthe rotation axis of the storage organ.
 13. The device according toclaim 10, wherein the delivery ramp forms a stop between the deliveryzone and an end of the delivery ramp configured to hold the target onthe delivery zone.
 14. The device according to claim 9, comprising aprojection surface on which the target is moved so as to be projected,the projection surface comprising a support surface supporting acircular portion of the target.
 15. The device according to claim 14,wherein the support surface has a concave longitudinal profile.
 16. Thedevice according to claim 14, comprising at least one target with acircular cross-section and with an edge configured so as to be appliedto the support surface.